After the webinar, many of the attendees asked Gilbert some fundamental questions about direct marketing on social networks, and for an old-school direct marketer, his answers might surprise you:

1. How do you measure social media ROI?
Call me a heretic, but ROI is not as important as engagement ratio. Engagement ratio is the ratio is people who saw the post vs. the number of comments, shares and likes. I know that if people are happy, they will buy. When I use promo codes in posts, we can track results. Also, our call center is adept at asking people about Facebook and always hears things about how they enjoy our Facebook community, or that they looked at Facebook and everyone really likes the company, the food, etc., and that is why they decided to buy.

2. We're just launching a blog; what's the best way to solicit feedback/interaction?
Think thought leadership. In social, content is king. You need to create content that focuses on your value proposition and shows you as a leader. Leaders aren't afraid to ask hard, provocative questions.